Gratitude

Shalom.

We learned about gratitude in church on Sunday. The Lord paid us a visit and used Pastor Blakely to get us to change our thinking. That is so needful in the church today. There is a tremendous amount of "stinkin' thinkin'." Our mindsets are so destructive, not just to ourselves, but to our families, and those around us. As a man, father, brother, it is vital that I keep my head together. And that I am honest enough with myself to know when I am not together and I need some help -- whether from my spouse, or another brother.

The word on Sunday was about being thankful. Do we really know what it is to be thankful? Do we take inventory of what we are thankful for? And it is not all about the material things, because they can come and go. The text on Sunday looked at Luke 7:36-50. This was the story of the woman with the expensive bottle of perfume. The preacher brought out just how grateful this woman was, all without saying a word.

I had never saw that from the standpoint of gratitude. At the end of the story, we read where Jesus forgives the woman of her sin. TALK ABOUT A WEIGHT BEING LIFTED OFF OF YOUR SHOULDERS! Praise God! One can only imagine what she had been going through all her life and then Jesus shows up! She went to that house and didn't care about what anyone else might have thought. And it was interesting how she didn't even look at Jesus. That let you know she wasn't there to have herself be seen like she might have normally done when it comes to her dealing with a man. I can imagine she was reaching a point in her life where she was tired. She thought about what her life was like up to around the time she started hearing about Jesus. I believe she needed a change; she needed something more. And she was probably watching and waiting for a time when she could get close to Jesus. And it is noteworthy that when she plans her visit, she has the perfume, which symbolizes worship. So that says to me she came the best way -- by worshiping Him. That is awesome. She was definitely ready to be changed, and not just on the outside. She wanted a total makeover, an Extreme Makeover, if you will.

It is amazing what we have to be thankful for. We just don't take the time to stop and think about it. And I am not even talking about material things. The message on Sunday was God wants us to have an attitude of gratitude. And when we have that attitude, then we won't be quick to have those other attitudes that we shouldn't have. Having a grateful attitude will help us deal with each other properly, as God would have it. We can be accepting of others because we have first accepted ourselves.

I encourage you to really take some time and think about what you have to be thankful for. I am thankful for my being covered by the Blood of Jesus Christ, for allowing him to come into my heart. I am thankful for my family, which I don't want to take for granted or let slip away. My wife and children are beautiful -- on the inside as well as on the outside. I am thankful that I have the Spirit of God in me so that I can spread the love of Jesus Christ to the saved and the unsaved. I thank God for giving me that ability, that authority.

Blessings.